Humvees

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Humvees Fell From the Sky, Broke Into Smithereens

To the great delight of the guy filming the now-viral video

(Newser) - The US Army is investigating what went wrong during an April 11 training exercise, during which three Humvees fell from airplanes and smashed to the ground. No one was hurt in the April 11 incident, which happened at the Hohenfels training area in Germany, Army spokesman Maj. Juan Martinez tells...

4 Soldiers Hurt in Humvee Crash on NJ Turnpike

One had to be airlifted

(Newser) - Four Army Reserve soldiers are injured, two critically, after a Humvee accident on the New Jersey Turnpike, reports NBC New York . Police haven't determined what went wrong, though witnesses say a tire flew off the vehicle around 2:30pm Thursday, per the Courier News . They tried to lift the...

We're Replacing Old Humvees With the JLTV

$6.75B contract goes to Wisconsin-based Oshkosh

(Newser) - The US Army and Marine Corps are in need of trucks that can carry two to four troops at a time and that are tough enough to endure bombs and mines, but not so heavy that they can't be ferried by air—and Oshkosh just won the $6.75...

US Military Selling Off All Its Gear in Afghanistan

Too bad it's breaking it all first

(Newser) - Searching for a good deal on a used treadmill? Look no further than Afghanistan, where the US military is selling off 2 million to 14 million pounds of its equipment every week, as it winds down operations there. There's just one catch, reports the Washington Post : most of the...

In Iraq, Hummer's the Hottest Ride

While 20,000 patrol the streets, 20 civilian Hummers are setting a trend

(Newser) - An American military icon has become all the rage in war-weary Baghdad: the Hummer. With at least 20,000 military Humvees on the road, the civilian version seems an unlikely symbol for auto-elitism, but a dealership run by two brothers indicates otherwise. They estimate they've sold 20 H3s in the...

Troops in Iraq Face Final Challenge: Moving Out

US military prepares to remove equipment from Iraq

(Newser) - As the US military reduces its presence in Iraq, it faces the logistical challenge of moving all the equipment it brought to the country during the nearly six-year war effort, the Los Angeles Times reports. Unlike personnel, much of the equipment used in Iraq will remain in the region, stored...

Pentagon Kept Humvees Despite Known IED Threat

Officials delayed switch to safer vehicles: report

(Newser) - Military leaders knew before the Iraq war that roadside bombs would threaten troops, but they still dragged their heels on adopting vehicles more resistant to IEDs, a Pentagon investigation has found. In 2005 officials stopped processing an urgent request from field commanders for vehicles called MRAPs, whose height and hull...

Haters, Gas Fail to Crush Hummer Pride

Soaring fuel may be stunting sales, but owners won't surrender

(Newser) - Sure, the Hummer may be going the way of the dinosaur: Sales are down 40% this year on soaring gas and an eco-image problem, and GM is looking to ditch its troubled brand. But for owners, the AP reports, outsized pride remains part of the package. "It definitely sparks...

Hero Soldier's Parents Accept Medal of Honor

Teen killed smothering grenade, saving comrades' lives

(Newser) - Ross McGinnis, a 19-year-old private who sacrificed his life in Iraq, was awarded the Medal of Honor today in a White House ceremony. Rather than fleeing a grenade an insurgent threw at his Humvee, McGinnis dived on it, saving four other soldiers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. His son "had...

Laser-Humvee Will Hunt IEDs
Laser-Humvee Will Hunt IEDs
Nov 24, 2007 2:25 PM CST

Laser-Humvee Will Hunt IEDs

Boeing's 'Laser Avenger' diffuses bombs with a super-hot beam

(Newser) - Boeing has developed a laser-equipped Humvee designed to disarm IEDs, CNET's military tech blog reports. The weapon system, known as the “Laser Avenger,” consists of a 1-kilowatt laser added to an anti-aircraft Humvee-mounted missile turret, and can neutralize a bomb by shooting the super-hot laser into it until...

How 1st-Year Students See the World
How 1st-Year Students See the World
Aug 21, 2007 8:04 PM CDT

How 1st-Year Students See the World

Annual list reveals mindset of this year's college freshmen

(Newser) - Humvees are always a mere down payment away, and it's only natural to see stadiums named after big corporations. Your source of info on '60s icons is Oliver Stone movies and anything else you need to know comes right from "The Daily Show." Don't worry; you’re not...

Heel-Dragging on Humvees Cost Lives
Heel-Dragging on Humvees Cost Lives
Jul 17, 2007 11:59 AM CDT

Heel-Dragging on Humvees Cost Lives

Officers in Iraq pled with Pentagon for years to replace dangerous vehicles

(Newser) - Officers in Iraq have been begging the Pentagon to replace their vulnerable Humvees with mine-proof MRAPs for years, but to no avail. Now senators Joe Biden and Kit Bond estimate that 700 lives could have been saved if the Pentagon had shipped out the MRAPs earlier, and USA Today reports...

Bombs Force Troops to Hoof It
Bombs Force Troops to Hoof It
Jun 22, 2007 1:06 PM CDT

Bombs Force Troops to Hoof It

Fearsome devices call vehicle defenses into question

(Newser) - Roadside bombs are now so powerful and plentiful in Baghdad that US soldiers are leaving their vehicles behind and patrolling on foot. Militant-planted explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, can blow through the strongest Humvees and tanks, and the decision to "dismount" from the vehicles is coming from both commanders...

Baghdad Merchants Beg to Differ With McCain

Say sunny security assessment is phony

(Newser) - Of course John McCain found Baghdad's central market perfectly safe during his weekend visit: He came with 100 soldiers in armored Humvees, backed by attack helicopters and sharpshooters. In a follow-up visit, Kirk Semple of the New York Times found merchants  incredulous at the Congressional delegation's sunny description of the...

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